To:G. V. PLEKHANOV

Written:Written in Geneva (local mail)Published:First published in 1926.

      Printed from the original.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,1974,

      Moscow,Volume 34,

      pages184-185.Translated:Clemens DuttTranscription\Markup:D. MorosPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2005).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

November 1, 1903

DearGeorgi Valentinovich,

Iam quite unable to calm down on account of the questions that are
worrying us. This delay, this postponement of a decision, is simply dreadful, a
torture....

No,really, I can quite understand your motives and considerations in favour of
a concession to the Martovites. But I am deeply convinced that a concession at
the present time is the most desperate step, leading to a storm and a shindyfar more certainlythan would war against the Martovites. This is no
paradox. I not only did not persuade Kurtz to leave but, on the contrary, tried
to persuade him to stay, but he (and Ru) flatly refuses now to work with the
Martovite editorial board. What’s going to happen? In Russia, dozens of
delegates have been travelling all over; even from Nizhni-Novgorod they write
that much has been done by the C.C., transport has been arranged, agents have
been appointed, the announcementis being published, Sokolovsky in the
West, Berg in the centre, and Zemlyachka and lots of others, have all settled
down to work. And now comes the refusal of Kurtz. It means a longbreak(in the session and meeting of thewholeC.C., now, it seems, already
considerably enlarged). Afterwards, either a struggle of the C.C. against
the Martovite editorial board or the resignation of thewholeC.C. Then
you+two Martovites in the Council mustco-opt a new C.C., and this
without election by the Congress, with total disapproval on the part of thegreat bulkin Russia, and bewilderment, dis content and refusal on the
part of these agents who have already gone out. Why, this will utterly
discredit the Congressand sow complete discord and cause a scandalin Russiaa hundred
thousand times more terrible and dangerous than a scurrilous foreign pamphlet.

Weare fed up with discord! That is what they write andscreamabout in
letters from Russia. And to give way to the Martovites now would meanlegitimisingdiscord in Russia, forin Russiathere has not
yet been even a trace of disobedience and revolt. No statements of yours or
mine will now restrain the delegates of the Majority at the Party
Congress. These delegates will create a frightful rumpus.

Forthe sake of unity, for the sake of the stability of the Party—do
not take this responsibility upon yourself, do not withdraw and do not give
everything away to the Martovites.

Yours,N. Lenin